Demet Aslı Çaltekin on “Conscientious Objection in Turkey: A Socio-legal Analysis of the Right to Refuse Military Service” (Edinburgh University Press). The conversation addresses the ubiquity of militarism and nationalism in Turkey, and the impact on people who refuse to do their compulsory military service. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of...
May 29, 2023•27 min•Ep. 170
Aron Aji discusses the life and work of Turkish author Ferit Edgü. Aji’s translations of Edgu’s excellent, austere novellas “The Wounded Age” and “Eastern Tales” were recently published in a new single volume by New York Review Books. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international ...
May 15, 2023•43 min•Ep. 169
Tezcan Gümüş on “Turkey's Political Leaders: Authoritarian Tendencies in a Democratic State” (Edinburgh University Press). The book shows how almost all major leaders in Turkey’s multi-party history have demonstrated authoritarian traits, reflecting and fostering the various failings of Turkey’s democratic system. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcrip...
May 01, 2023•47 min•Ep. 168
Paul Levin, director of Stockholm University’s Institute for Turkish Studies, on the power dynamics of Turkish and Kurdish communities in Sweden and the imbroglio over Stockholm's bid to join Nato. Levin is co-author of “Migration from Turkey to Sweden: Integration, Belonging and Transnational Community” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury). Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interv...
Apr 17, 2023•33 min•Ep. 167
Maureen Freely on the life and work of the late Tezer Özlü. Her translation of Özlü’s 1980 novel “Cold Nights of Childhood” has just been published for the first time in English by Serpent’s Tail. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics....
Apr 03, 2023•29 min•Ep. 166
Doğan Gürpınar, historian at Istanbul Technical University, on “Apparatchiks and Ideologues in Islamist Turkey: The Intellectual Order of Islamism and Populism” (Palgrave Macmillan). Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics....
Mar 20, 2023•36 min•Ep. 165
Nesi Altaras on “A Privilege That Cannot Be Bought: Jews of Turkey and Citizenship Restitution from Portugal and Spain” (Libra Books). The book weighs up the motivations of Turkish Jews applying for Spanish and Portuguese passports, after both countries allowed Sephardic Jews to "reclaim" citizenship. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the who...
Mar 06, 2023•27 min•Ep. 164
Selim Koru on the devastating recent earthquakes. The conversation compares their effect with the Marmara earthquake of 1999, as well as touching on the Erdogan government's response, the potential social, political and economic consequences, and the possible impact on Turkey's foreign policy. Please consider supporting one of the groups involved in post-earthquake relief measures in Turkey and Syria....
Feb 20, 2023•31 min•Ep. 163
Çağdaş Üngör, professor of political science and international relations at Marmara University, on the history of Turkey-China ties, Turkish public perceptions of China, Ankara's stance on China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority, and Beijing’s efforts to craft its message to Turkish public opinion. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole...
Jan 30, 2023•43 min•Ep. 162
Mostafa Minawi on “Losing Istanbul: Arab-Ottoman Imperialists and the End of Empire” (Stanford University Press). The book follows the rise and fall of a generation of Arab-origin figures who flourished in the Ottoman capital in the final years before the empire collapsed. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 revi...
Jan 16, 2023•44 min•Ep. 161
Gregory Goalwin on “Borders of Belief: Religious Nationalism and the Formation of Identity in Ireland and Turkey” (Rutgers University Press). The book explores Catholicism in Ireland and Islam in Turkey served as fundamental building blocks of the two countries' national identity through the 20th century. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the...
Jan 02, 2023•39 min•Ep. 160
Derya Ozkul on “The Alevis in Modern Turkey and the Diaspora: Recognition, Mobilisation and Transformation” (Edinburgh University Press), a volume she co-edited with Hege Markussen. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics....
Dec 19, 2022•30 min•Ep. 159
Ryan Gingeras on “The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire 1918-1922” (Allen Lane). The conversation addresses events between the end of the First World War and the declaration of the Turkish Republic, while also touching on how these years are remembered in today's Turkey. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews ...
Dec 05, 2022•45 min•Ep. 158
Enno Maessen, lecturer in political history at Utrecht University, on “Representing Modern Istanbul: Urban History and International Institutions in Twentieth Century Beyoglu” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury). The book examines convulsive changes in Istanbul's historical Beyoglu district over the past century. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whol...
Nov 21, 2022•42 min•Ep. 157
Gönül Tol, director of the Turkey program at the Middle East Institute, on “Erdogan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle at Home and in Syria” (Oxford University Press). The book describes how developments in Syria have helped Turkey's president divide and eliminate his domestic rivals and consolidate his base. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the ...
Nov 07, 2022•44 min•Ep. 156
Elise Massicard on “Street-Level Governing: Negotiating the State in Urban Turkey” (Stanford University Press). The book dives deep into the world of muhtars, the lowest administrative rung in Turkey, looking first-hand at how they chart a course between local residents and higher authorities in the country. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of ...
Oct 24, 2022•44 min•Ep. 155
Jonathan Parry, Professor of Modern British History at the University of Cambridge, on “Promised Lands: The British and the Ottoman Middle East” (Princeton University Press). The book charts British engagement with the Ottoman authorities and local communities across the Middle East in the 19th century. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the w...
Oct 10, 2022•48 min•Ep. 154
Sevgi Adak on “Anti-Veiling Campaigns in Turkey: State, Society and Gender in the Early Republic” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury). The book examines measures taken by the authorities against women’s veiling, as well as other forms of clothing, in the 1920s and 1930s. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews covering Tu...
Sep 26, 2022•45 min•Ep. 153
Galip Dalay on his Middle East Council on Global Affairs paper “ Turkey’s Middle East Reset: A Precursor for Reescalation? ” The piece looks at Ankara's bid to mend fences with previously bitter rivals including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel, the challenges it faces, and some of the exceptions. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the ...
Sep 12, 2022•34 min•Ep. 152
Jan-Markus Vomel on his article “ Pathos and Discipline: Islamist Masculinity in Turkey, 1950-2000 ”, published in the journal Zeithistorische Forschungen. The piece explores how Turkish Islamism weaponised ideas of virility and manliness against what it saw as the emasculating forces of secularism and Westernisation. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, trans...
Aug 29, 2022•30 min•Ep. 151
Saniye Dedeoglu on “Syrian Refugees and Agriculture in Turkey Work, Precarity, Survival” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury). The book looks at Syrians' integration into Turkey’s labour market, its effect on relations between men and women, and the role of child labour in the agriculture sector. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and ove...
Aug 15, 2022•32 min•Ep. 150
Gönül Bozoğlu on “Museums, Emotion and Memory Culture: The Politics of the Past in Turkey” (Routledge). The book examines Istanbul's Panorama 1453 Museum and Ankara's Atatürk and War of Independence Museum to show how history in Turkey is often a battleground where contemporary identities clash for supremacy. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of...
Aug 01, 2022•36 min•Ep. 149
Murat Somer on “Return to Point Zero: The Turkish-Kurdish Question and How Politics and Ideas (Re)Make Empires, Nations and States” (SUNY Press). The book examines how Turkey's Kurdish question emerged decades ago and why that formative period is still crucial today. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews co...
Jul 18, 2022•38 min•Ep. 148
Dimitar Bechev on “Turkey Under Erdogan: How a Country Turned from Democracy and the West” (Yale University Press). The book gives a neat overview of how the country and President Erdogan came to where they are today, ahead of crucial elections scheduled for next year. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews ...
Jul 04, 2022•38 min•Ep. 147
Amy Marie Spangler on the great author Leyla Erbil (1931-2013) and her novel "A Strange Woman", first published in 1971. Spangler just co-translated a new English edition of the book, published by Deep Vellum, building on an original translation by Nermin Menemencioğlu. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews...
Jun 20, 2022•34 min•Ep. 146
Murat Metinsoy on “The Power of the People: Everyday Resistance and Dissent in the Making of Modern Turkey, 1923-38” (Cambridge University Press). The book examines how ordinary people's reaction to Kemalist reforms shaped, modified or softened how those reforms were implemented on the ground. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archi...
Jun 06, 2022•30 min•Ep. 145
Reuben Silverman on “Borderline Personalities: Lives at the Political, Social and Geographic Edges of Modern Turkey” (Libra Books). The book brings together pieces from his website largely focusing on figures from the political, social and cultural margins to illuminate broader themes of modern Turkish history. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts ...
May 23, 2022•36 min•Ep. 144
Sarah-Neel Smith on “Metrics of Modernity: Art and Development in Postwar Turkey” (University of California Press). The book paints a vivid portrait of Turkey's art world in the 1950s and how it reflected early Cold War ideas of national development, individual enterprise and global integration. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole arc...
May 09, 2022•38 min•Ep. 143
Suat Kınıklıoğlu on his report “Eurasianism in Turkey”, published by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs' Centre for Applied Turkey Studies. The report examines the influence of Turkish-style Eurasianism, a worldview favouring Ankara's break from Nato in favour of strategic alignment with Russia and/or China. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every i...
Apr 25, 2022•41 min•Ep. 142
Birol Başkan on “The Nation or the Ummah: Islamism and Turkish Foreign Policy” (SUNY Press), co-written with Ömer Taşpınar. The book examines Turkey's foreign policy during the Arab Spring era, when Ankara threw its weight behind protest movements seeking to overthrow established regimes around the Middle East. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts ...
Apr 11, 2022•31 min•Ep. 141
